Groups Flashcards
What are the two types of groups?
- Non-social/minimal groups
2.”real” groups
Define a non-social/minimal group
DEF: 2 + people that interact minimally and are NOT interdependent
ex: peple waiting at a buss stop
Define “real groups”
DEF: 2+ people who interact and are interdependent
Needs and goals cause them to depend on and influence each other
Can be temporary (this class) or permanent (family)
Characteristics of “real” groups (4)
- interdependance
DEF: replying with one another
Shared goals / work together
2.Group identity
Sharing a common identity
3.Group structure
Injunctive norms (how its deeps acceptable to behave)
communication network
status hierarchies
4.Cohesiveness
Strength of the bonds among group members
leads to better group performance
What are the two types of cohesiveness (characteristics of “real” groups)
- Interpersonal cohesiveness
DEF: enjoy being with each other
2.Task cohesiveness
DEF: committed to a group task
What are the 4 functions of groups?
- Resources & to get things done
2.Self-esteem and need for belongingness
3.Helps resolve ambiguity & be accurate
4.Helps define acceptable behavior (social norms)
Stanford prison experiment ( (Zimbardo et al., 1973))
Turned Stanford psych department basement into a mock prison
How will people behave when given social roles?
Recruitment (24 male college students, passes psych evaluations, assigned as guard or prisoner by flip a coin)
- Guards
- Wore khaki uniforms
-Given whistle
-Given night stick
-Given reflective sunglasses
2.Prisoners
-Wore uniform with number on it
-Sandals
-Nylon cap
-Chain attached to ankle
Day 1:
Arrested with no notice at their homes
Very good compliance & cooperation
First few days:
Uprisings and challenges to authority begin
Prisoner #8612 starts suffering from emotional disturbances, rage, uncontrollable crying and had to be released
Guards become increasingly hostile, abusive, sadistic
Prisoners became passive, helpless, withdrawn
Study terminated early
What is social facilitation?
DEF: The process through which the mere presence of others influence performance
If it is a dominant (well-mastered) response, performance will increase (get better)
If it is a non-mastered task, performance worsens
Cockroach Study Zajonc (1969) (social facilitation)
Cockroaches ran an easy maze
Other cockroaches were present/absent
Dependent variable = time to reach the dark box
Cockroaches were faster when other roaches were present (enhanced performance)
Cockroaches ran a HARD maze
Other cockroaches were present/absent
Dependent variable = time to reach the dark box
Cockroaches were much slower when other roaches were present (diminished performance)
Arousal and social facilitation
The presence of others causes arousal
- Other people make us alert
- Evaluation apprehension (concern about being judged)
- Others can distract us (divided attention)
What is social loafing?
DEF: Reducing personal effort when in a group
more likely to social loaf when their individual contributions can’t be evaluated
less likely to social loaf when it is meaningful and important to them
Shepperd (2001) Bubble Gum Study
(social loafing)
Task = wrap pieces of bubble gum for 10 min
Participants were told either
Their performance is identifiable OR no one would know how much work they did
Results: personal performance will be identifiable (wrapped more)
If participants were told the gum would be added to care packages sent to soldiers stationed overseas
Results: Personal performance identifiable and non identifiable both packed the same amount of gum for overseas soldiers
How do we reduce social loafing?
- Make contributions identifiable
- Make the task meaningful/important
- Make it clear that each person’s effort will lead to better performance
- Increase cohesiveness of the group
- Recruit members who are collectivistic
What is Deindividualation?
DEF: People lose their sense of individual identity and relax their inhibitions against behaving in ways inconsistent with their normal values
Feelings of anonymity
Lack of responsibility
Lack of accountability
Ability to blend in
Increased obedience to group norms
how do groups deindividuate their members ( 2 ways)
- Masking them (hide their faces, their recognisable and individual features so they all look the same and cant be identified making them feel like a group)
- By distracting them from individual selves
what are 3 factors can cause groups to make worse decisions than individuals?
- Group Polarization
- Minority Influence
3.Groupthink
What is Group Polarization? (groups to make worse decisions than individuals)
DEF: the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than members initially favoured
2 conditions:
1. Initial attitude about the topic must exist
2.A group discussion must occur
occures due to:
A. Persuasive Arguments Interpretation
-Majority Influence: more likely to hear arguments favoring the groups’ inclinations than arguments opposing it
B. Social Comparison Interpretation
-Discussion also illuminates the group norm about the issue (what does the group value?)
What is Minority Influence? (groups to make worse decisions than individuals)
DEF: When opinion minorities persuade others of their views
Difficult to accomplish
Has the most impact when:
-They hold steadily to their views
-They once held the majority position
-They’re willing to compromise
-They have some support
What is groupthink? (groups to make worse decisions than individuals) (its 4 consequences and how to prevent it )
DEF: Emphasis is on group cooperation at the expense of critical thinking so they lose the ability to make objective decisions
consequences:
-More likely to ignore information from outside the group
-Failure to evaluate alternatives
-Failure to examine risks of their choice
-Failure to plan for the possibility that their choice is wrong
Prevent it:
-Appoint a “devil’s advocate”
-Have an independent expert evaluate the decisions
-Hold follow-up meetings
-Remain impartial
-Seek outside opinions
-Seek anonymous opinions
Who wants to lead (3)?
- Ambitious people
- Need for power – Have a strong desire to have power
- Achievement Motivation – Have a strong urge to do great things
2.Energetic people
- Ability and willingness to work HARD
3.Men
- more interested in leading and power
-testosterone motivates competition for status
-Women stress quality of life and relationships
- Women more likely to seek leadership if they first observe a female lead
Who is chosen to lead?
Must fit the groups needs!
-relevant skills
-high levels of intelligence
-high levels of expertise
-invested in the group
stereotypes:
- physically mature (tall; not baby faced)
Who is a good leader?
Depends:
- group’s needs and how well the person is able to fulfill those needs
Flexibility is important!
- needs often change
